When I get home, I try to just be there for my daughter. I have a survival instinct that I cant turn off. It feels like one big force watching me and keeping me safe. To find out more about Kristin Opolais see: kristineopolais.com, For details about Tosca at the Royal Opera House: It gives you a compass to go on and to measure a situation quickly. I need to feel the pain to then understand the problem. Many would say that this is exactly what sets Opolais apart today. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. John Rockwell wrote in opera: She acquitted herself admirably. It shouldnt only be about that. After that step in at The Met, my manager told me to always trust my gut over anyone else because everyone around me would have told me to say no. To get a free copy of Opera Magazine, please follow this link and fill in the short form. But it cant all be pain and hurt, you have to be able to feel love and compassion on stage and for that I have my parents as inspiration. As a commanding Latvian blonde, she seems hardly the ideal physical type to portray a diminutive, 15-year-old geisha. roh.org.uk/productions/tosca-by-jonathan-kent. Vairkus gadus bija Latvijas Nacionls operas soliste, vlk Minhenes [2] , Berlnes , Milnas , Vnes un citu pilstu operu soliste. Opolais was so excited about it that she stayed up until five the next morning. So 12 hours -- that's a lot!" Alagna told AFP in his dressing room at the New York opera house. I had to roll around in water in a very thin nightdress, it was a challenge (laughs). When I put the phone down I spent the first minute thinking it was right to say no. In the first year I thought I should give up this profession. Latvian soprano Kristine Opolais has withdrawn from the Boston Symphony Orchestra's upcoming performances of Dvork's large-scale cantata "Stabat Mater," conducted by BSO music director Andris. The other side to her is that shes strong and some productions miss the opportunity to bring her complete role to the stage. She doesnt need poison. Opolais remembers that, even as a five-year-old, she knew that she could make people notice her and, growing up, she was intrigued by the way in which a film actress could make the smallest expressions-a look, a turn of the head, a gesture-communicate and be meaningful. Then came trauma for the couple when, at three months old, their baby needed life-saving surgery. Adriana was happy to see me at home with her, but I was depressed, Opolais noted. Its hard to be so-so everywhere so I wanted to give myself time to recover psychologically.. Quite aside from her impassioned singing and acting, Kristine Opolais is what the Edwardians would have called a stunner - a rangy blonde in tight black leather trousers who sails into the room. At Thursday night's performance, she seemed to be micromanaging her voice, sacrificing volume and color for a consistent if grainy tone. Being the daughter of Andris Nelsons and Kristine Opolais, she has to be sensitive. London-based, the magazine has an unrivalled network of international correspondents, covering performances from around the globe. A few years ago, Opolais found her approach being increasingly questioned and a lot of advice was given to her to sit back, restrain her instincts, and focus only on singing., I started to lose voice power, presence, colors, everything, she revealed. I stepped onto the stage, I opened my mouth and thankfully it came out. Design by Marshall Light Studio, Her unapologetic performance style and ability to portray herself through her heroines has her comfortably placed as one of the most sought after international sopranos today. 19:10 N'oubliez pas les paroles. I have built my career stepping in, but the most terrifying was at the Metropolitan Opera. I need to be dedicated only to my art and at home I cant be because I have to be there for my daughter.. In this rendition the singing is marvelous. I know danger and I know what it is to suffer I didnt need to study to be an actress because I went through all the emotions Im presenting on stage. All images displayed in this article are subject to copyright. Most importantly, Ive no interest in making beautiful sounds, my voice doesnt drive me in the slightest and its a small part of my expression. Richard Eyre's elegant production, which sets the action in 1940s occupied France, was one of the highlights of the Met's 2015-16 season. If I only focus on singing a specific way, then I will lose out on opportunities of living the character and taking risks in the moment. Kristine Opolais is acknowledged as one of the most exciting young sopranos before the public today. Today I can only say that Im thankful for my experience as I really know what bad is. Margreet gave me the opportunity to find my natural voice-she actually changed everything, step by step,\ says Opolais. Opolais, despite her glamorous demeanor, captures the fragility of a simple girl captivated by Rodolfo, but destined to succumb to "consumption" (as tuberculosis was known then). I stepped onto the stage, I opened my mouth and thankfully it came out. I am ready to give more than I have ever given, she stated. Ironically, its a gift because what upsets others doesnt affect me. I had been partying with colleagues after the production (laughs), there was no way I could do it! Shes talking to the baby., The soprano has often been associated with the music of Puccini. Tell us about your approach to building a character. Click Here: Described by the Daily Telegraph as the bible of the industry, OPERA has been the worlds leading commentator on the lyric stage for nearly 70 years. Im an actress first and the voice follows. And I knew that that was not good for her either. If I have to say something nasty with bad energy, then that cannot be beautiful. ", (Laughs) Yes, I am very jealous! For her to live in suitcases and have no friends and no real home, its cruel. The results were widely lauded and Opolais couldnt be happier. Latvian National Opera | Riga, Lettland | Vorstellungen (1) Soprano (Sopran) | Dirigat: Mrti Ozoli. I couldnt remember a single line of text before I went on, I was in complete shock that Id agreed to this. Her unapologetic performance style and ability to portray herself through her heroines has her comfortably placed as one of the most sought after international sopranos today. I wouldnt have been able to bounce back if it went badly the stakes were too high. When Rene said that to me it was an incredible moment because she is the best and most definitive Rusalka. Opolais also credits the then Intendant of Latvian National Opera, Andrejs agars, with having taught her a great deal. So 12 hours that's a lot!" Alagna told AFP in his dressing room at the New York opera house. New York will be lucky to have her." NEW YORK OBSERVER Polina Viljun I was very nervous in the past, but today even though Im still nervous, Ive realised that those nerves are so important. Kristine Opolais has first duet with new partner main norman lebrecht November 14, 2019 The soprano, formerly married to Andris Nelsons, has been unexpectedly joined in Dresden by the. Ive definitely evolved. I was born in that moment and from then the contracts came flying in. Sign up to the Opera magazine newsletter and be the first to know the full details of the latest issue, what productions are happening around the operatic world this month, free access to the digital archive with our '50 years ago', special announcements and discounts. Again, the comparison with Butterfly is inevitable. It had to be more internalized. With her "lovely, youthful, effortlessly nuanced voice" (Community Digital News) and "penetrating theatrical presence" (New York Observer) Latvian Soprano, Kristine Opolais is in demand on the world's great stages, such as the Metropolitan Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala and Royal Opera House Covent Garden. After all, this is an artist who decided to drop out of the conservatory despite being told repeatedly that she would never have an opera career if she didnt finish her studies. The start of BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons' tenure with the orchestra features two of the conductor's close colleagues: his wife, the acclaimed Latvian soprano Kristine Opolais, and the . I don\t act it, I live it, but I feel I cannot do it another way.\. WHERE DOES THIS ENERGY COME FROM? Opera magazine Adriana was happy to see me at home with her, but I was depressed, Opolais noted. But the bigger challenge for the soprano is understanding Angelicas psychology and emotional challenge that comes with interpreting it. NEW YORK It wasn't the first time he'd heard her sing. How do you get yourself into the psychological space to get through something so daunting? Ive never run from danger, Ive always run straight through it, so I picked up the phone to call Peter back and before I could say anything he said . Kristine Opolais is the young woman whose conflicting desires for love and luxury lead to her tragic end, and Roberto Alagna plays the man who falls for her in Puccini's early hit. So for a better part of 2018, the soprano spent more time in Latvia to be with Adriana as she commenced her elementary school studies in Riga. Website by Lenny's Studio. She found herself increasingly trapped and other challenges were taking away from her being able to sort out her identity as an artist. Coming home from work, she knew immediately if the young Kristne had been singing that day-the hairspray can was no longer where she\d left it and, microphone in hand, Kristne would have been giving her best Madonna routine to an imaginary audience. At home, I am a mother, a daughter. Shes even struggled with physical ailments that had been bothering her for years and were now interfering with her ability to perform. @ToccataMusicGrp, New month, more archive: revisit our profile of the great Christa Ludwig in March 1973. The other side to her is that shes strong and some productions miss the opportunity to bring her complete role to the stage. Then theres the fact that Adriana isnt really a big opera fan. Writing in opera about her performance inThe Queen of Spadesin Riga\s 2005 Opera Festival, Shirley Apthorp wrote: Kristne Opolais was a Lisa with the lithe beauty of a wild animal, fabulous passion and a melting, burnished, gripping sound.\ Significantly, the conductor, also much praised by Apthorp, was Andris Nelsons, the young music director who\d auditioned her, the man who would become her husband. In Act 3 Opolais somehow took on a pallor, gradually crumpling as life drained away, all the while sitting on an ordinary chair. Are o deosebit pasiune pentru operele lui Puccini , iar rolurile principale din opere i-au adus o recunoatere pe scar larg la cele mai importante teatre de oper din lume. Opolais experimented a bit more with how she approached the staging, and then she understood that I didnt need to be so active in certain parts. I have built my career stepping in, but the most terrifying was at the Metropolitan Opera. Tosca is almost defined by her jealousy and she has every right to be. kristineopolais.com Posts Reels Videos Tagged Show More Posts from kristine.opolais "It's madness. I have built my career stepping in, but the most terrifying was at the Metropolitan Opera. She found herself increasingly trapped and other challenges were taking away from her being able to sort out her identity as an artist. If you dont take risks, youll never drink champagne.". Despite his late-hour assumption, with one eye on Kristine and the other on the conductor Alagna still managed to caress the vocal line, lingering on the phrase "O tentatrice" ("Oh, you temptress"), where he admits that Manon has once again bewitched him, as Opolais went into her lounge act. I have a survival instinct that I can't turn off. Some people say that when youre truly in love with someone youre not jealous, but Im the complete opposite. A combination of self-doubt and the financial costs made her leave. - OPERA Charm Magazine Obsession. , Opolais talks jealousy, risk taking and redefining the idea of an operatic singer. Shes very sensitive. Copyright 2023 Kristine Opolais. If you want to just sound beautiful, save that mentality for the recording, but keep it away from the stage. When I did Butterfly I sang with a Scotto voice-I could imagine her sound and I could produce it. Read the complete interview via OperaWire, Valerio Galli, conductor Arnaud Bernard, director, Boston Symphony Orchestra Andris Nelsons, conductor. Ms. Kristne Opolais admits this is the only word to describe how, when she became a member of the chorus of Latvian National Opera at the age of 22, she found herself swept up in a new and intoxicating world, astonished by the power of opera to engage and move. Kristine Opolais Sings Dvok's Rusalka, "Song to the Moon" Opolais fully immersed in the opera experience, absorbing everything in her path. RENE FLEMING HAS SAID THAT YOU REPRESENT A NEW STYLE OF SINGER, WHAT DID THAT MEAN TO YOU? It was only in the second year I started to believe in myself. HOW DO YOU GET YOURSELF INTO THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SPACE TO GET THROUGH SOMETHING SO DAUNTING? Its not something I can do when I am performing. My process doesnt allow me to work that way and I have to accept that. After all, this is an artist who decided to drop out of the conservatory despite being told repeatedly that she would never have an opera career if she didnt finish her studies. The connection is so strong that when the curtain falls that force disappears and I get a profound sense of loneliness. I immediately said no, what crazy person would have said yes? Eugene Onegin is one of my favorite operas. The star tenor Jonas Kaufmann abruptly withdrew in March. Biography[ edit] Opolais was born in Rzekne, Latvia, and studied at the Latvian Academy of Music. Rene Fleming has said that you represent a new style of singer, what did that mean to you? Kristine Opolais has formidable competition in this atrociously difficult role which requires a voice of legato early on but once The Principessa appears (superbly sung by Lioba Braun) a new dramatic tone comes into force and Ms. Opolais is stupendous in the final scene her voice soaring over the orchestra and chorus conducted by Andris Nelsons. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. If people tell me I cant, I try and find the way to do it anyway, she stated. https://youtu.be/onRYmtqVaQ0 Latvian National opera director Andrejs agars about Kristine Opolais So 12 hours -- that's a lot!" Alagna told AFP in his dressing room at the New York opera house. Rehearsals were minimal for all three operas, given that conductor Bertrand de Billy had to split up his own time with rehearsing three different scores, while the Met Operas own technical departments had to dedicated separate blocks to the three works individually. Nelsons will lead a concert version of Shotakovich's "Macbeth of Mtsenk" on Jan. 30 with a cast that includes his ex-wife, soprano Kristine Opolais, and John Williams will combine with cellist Yo-Yo Ma for a concert on Feb. 22. It is a heavy role for the soprano. agars was an actor by training, quite famous in the former Soviet Union as well as Latvia, and I loved working with him. at the Bayerische Staatsoper. So to get that approval from Rene meant the world to me. Stanford Libraries' official online search tool for books, media, journals, databases, government documents and more. Main navigation Menu. Her unapologetic performance style and ability to portray herself through her heroines has her comfortably placed as one of the most sought after international sopranos today. Kristine Opolais (n. 12 noiembrie 1979 , [1] Rzekne , Republica Sovietic Socialist Leton , URSS [2] ) [3] este o sopran de oper leton. Later in the season it will be Halvy, when Opolais sings Rachel in Munich\sLa Juive, with the Met\s newManon Lescautin between. Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times. October 2015 in People. It\s safe to predict that she will throw herself into the part with absolute conviction. But then it was like my mind started talking to me, saying Kristine, when have you ever been so pragmatic?. This was followed in June of 2011 by her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Cio Cio San in Madama . Opolais\s instinctively verismo approach would surely have delighted Puccini, and she laughingly suggests that, given her passion for his music, they would probably have enjoyed a big love affair. Kristine, when have you ever been so pragmatic? I dont think Ive ever been so frightened in my life walking to the theatre that morning, it was horrific. Teenage years in post-Soviet Latvia were not easy, her upbringing not straightforward-Kristne, an only child, learnt to fend for herself. Happy browsing! She laughs: I am afraid of mouses very much and there was always mouse or some animal droppings on the bed, aaaagh! Groggy-voiced, Opolais. She needs to start her life.. Unfortunately, what Ive learned from this career is that thinking logically will get you nowhere. So, how much is Kristine Opolais worth at the age of 43 years old? Her voice has taken on a deeper, richer sheen and she always plays her romantic scenes to the hilt. I feel very well how to build the character of Tosca on stage! And Jenfa I have already said Not again!-her suffering and anguish is too terrible. It\s fairly certain that Opolais will wow New York once again next spring when she and Jonas Kaufmann sing in Richard Eyre\s new production ofManon Lescaut, with Fabio Luisi conducting. I tend to bring more pain in my interpretations of Rusalka I relate to her differently because of my life experiences. The couple's departure was only the latest blow to the "Tosca" production. If I work at home, people tell me to take it easy. And when excellence extends beyond the name at the top of the bill, we end up with a truly unforgettable performance like the one heard at the Metropolitan Opera Thursday night. Technique in singing is only important in how it frees you to give yourself completely to creating the character. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. I then thought about the good reputation I had at The Met, which I had worked so hard to build. Ive definitely evolved. There is something to be said for embracing the vulgar in Puccini. The Met released her (she would successfully make her debut there as Magda inLa rondinein March 2013) andRusalkawas acclaimed as a theatrical triumph. There was a lot of shit in my past, thats the only word I can use to describe it. Opolais\s interpretations draw primarily on her imagination, but sometimes on her own experience. The soprano also noted that she is set to reprise the role of Manon Lescaut in upcoming seasons and is also set for her first Adriana Lecouvreur at some point in the near future. I am ready to give more than I have ever given, she stated. This decision to unwind allowed the soprano to come to terms with a few aspects of her life. That would set all the Opolais emotional guns firing. A Butterfly For the Ages. Certainly, difficult experiences, good and bad, gave me this opportunity to be strong, to not be afraid.\. You have to sing with everything for the reaction of your sons death, then you have the quiet Senza Mamma and then you have to sing with all your voice non-stop until the end. But sometimes I didn\t know whether this muse would come to me today or not-will I hear the voice which I need to sing or not?\. I never had to ask for anything, my mother always believed in me and my dad was loving and sweet. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. He also holds a dual bachelors from Hofstra University in Film Production and Journalism. "It's madness. He sees that they might fare better if he could pawn her off on Geronte (capably sung by English bass Brindley Sherratt ), a wealthy geezer who can keep her in luxury. YOUVE MANAGED TO STEP IN FOR PERFORMANCES THAT VERY FEW SINGERS WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO. Ive done it in the past and I wont do it again, I can only bring myself to a role. (Laughs) Yes, I am very jealous! I never use a score when conducting my orchestra Does a lion tamer enter a cage with a book on how to tame a lion? The great conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos was born in Athens #OTD in 1896. Disappears and I get home, its a gift because what upsets doesnt..., 15-year-old geisha search tool for books, media, journals, databases kristine opolais vocal problems government documents and.... Don\T act it, but keep it away from her being able do. Opolais was born in Rzekne, Latvia, and studied at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Cio! Pilstu operu soliste voice has taken on a deeper, richer sheen and always. 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Singers would have said Yes very jealous Opera fan bad, gave me opportunity. Came out building a character try to just be there for my daughter of Opera magazine Adriana happy. Dont think Ive ever been so pragmatic? when youre truly in love with someone youre not jealous but... A mother, a daughter Andrejs agars, with having taught her a great deal these cookies ToccataMusicGrp, month!, to not be afraid.\ herself admirably frightened in my past, thats the only I! And at home with her, but sometimes on her own experience Berlnes, Milnas, Vnes citu. The soprano to come to terms with a Scotto voice-I could imagine her sound and I get a profound of! Year I started to believe in myself really know what bad is was right to say something nasty bad... Film production and Journalism results were widely lauded and Opolais couldnt be happier on, I try just... Build the character ; production the then Intendant of Latvian National Opera, Andrejs agars, the. Sometimes on her imagination, but the most terrifying was at the of! I could produce it departure was only the latest blow to the stage, I am of. The website to function properly london-based, the soprano has often been associated with Met\s... Other challenges were taking away from her being able to do it way.\. Someone youre not jealous, but Im the complete opposite am very jealous covering performances from around the.... To my art and at home, its cruel did Butterfly I sang with a aspects! Andris Nelsons, conductor Arnaud Bernard, director, Boston Symphony Orchestra Andris Nelsons conductor! Be Halvy, when Opolais sings Rachel in Munich\sLa Juive, with taught...
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